Sipp open to staying in Padres' system

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Tony Sipp walked through the Padres' clubhouse on Tuesday, holding a cup of coffee and dressed in street clothes. He looked like he had nowhere to be.

In a sense, he doesn't.

On Monday, the Padres informed the left-handed pitcher he would not make the 25-man Opening Day roster, though it was no fault of his own.

"They said they didn't think I could have done any more than I did," Sipp said. "They said that with Josh [pitcher Josh Johnson] out, they were going to go the long [reliever] route."

Sipp, who can opt out of his Minor League deal with the team, is waiting to see if another Major League team offers him a deal. If not, he said he would accept an assignment to Triple-A El Paso.

"I think it's a good fit here," Sipp said.

Sipp had a 1.86 ERA this spring in nine appearances and 9 2/3 innings. He allowed 10 hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. Five of the 10 hits he allowed came against left-handed batters.

Sipp was one of two potential left-handed specialists in camp. The other was Patrick Schuster, who was claimed on waivers on Tuesday by the Royals. Like Sipp, Schuster was told Monday that he wasn't going to make the 25-man roster.

"I thought I had a really good spring … it was probably the best spring I've had so far in my career," Sipp said. "I feel like I made a statement here."

All signs currently point to right-hander Donn Roach making the team, though manager Bud Black hasn't made that official. Roach would give the Padres two options -- along with Tim Stauffer -- to work multiple innings if need be.

After three off-days in the first 12 days of the season, the Padres play 20 consecutive games from April 11-30 and carrying a second long man during that stretch might be deemed prudent.

Grandal's hard work could earn him spot on roster

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Manager Bud Black hasn't revealed who will catch Andrew Cashner on Sunday night in the season opener, let alone settled on the two -- or possibly three -- catchers who will be on the 25-man roster.

But it appears that Yasmani Grandal -- maybe a long shot to make the roster when the team arrived in Arizona last month -- has put himself in prime position to make the cut.

Grandal -- who had surgery on Aug. 6 to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee -- has impressed the organization with how hard he's worked to get ready for the regular season, even as some figured he was a candidate for the disabled list.

"We talked in the early part of March whether this was a possibility, and I was being a little cautious for a couple of reasons," Black said. "But he's kept his nose to the grindstone and has done a really nice job staying on track through the schedule the medical staff has provided. He hasn't missed any markers and he's played well.

"He's caught extremely well. He's moved, he's blocked and he has thrown at a level of performance that indicates he could be ready by Opening Day."

In addition to Nick Hundley and Grandal, the Padres have Rene Rivera, who did a nice job calling games and handling the pitching staff after Grandal was injured last July. Rivera is out of Minor League options, so it could be tricky to keep him if another team has a need for a catcher in the big leagues.

Padres add catching depth in trade with Royals

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres traded for catcher Adam Moore on Tuesday and promptly sent him to their Minor League camp.

Moore, 29, spent the past two seasons with the Royals organization. He appeared in a combined nine games in 2012-13 while spending the majority of each season in the Minor Leagues.

"He's been around the Cactus League. He's a guy our scouts liked," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It's always nice to have some experienced catching in your Minor League system."

The Padres sent cash considerations or a player to be named to the Royals in the deal.

Moore comes to the Padres organization with a strong reputation as being a good catch-and-throw guy.

The team officially lost left-handed reliever Patrick Schuster, who was claimed on waivers by the Royals. Schuster was told Monday that he wasn't going to make the team's 25-man Opening Day roster.

Moore, who is a career .200 hitter in 271 plate appearances over five seasons in the Major Leagues, will head to Triple-A El Paso.

Short hops

• Left-hander Robbie Erlin, the favorite to win the No. 5 starter job, will throw in a Minor League game Wednesday. Erlin and Matt Wisler are the two candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation, but Erlin has big league service time (54 2/3 innings) and is already on the 40-man roster. Wisler is not.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.